


I: Human

by honEy D (nitori_chan_san)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Androids, Blood and Injury, Found Family, Friendship, M/M, Nightmares, Non-Linear Narrative, Xiaojun-centric, the jaexiao is one sided, yujae if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:47:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28983597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nitori_chan_san/pseuds/honEy%20D
Summary: The thing was, Xiaojun was never romantically interested in androids. He just couldn’t be together with the objects he was trained to fix ever since he was a child. He knew how they worked from the inside; he knew how to shut them down, how to alter and rewire them. How could he ever be with someone he could figure out without getting to know them?That was until he met Jaehyun.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun & Xiao De Jun | Xiao Jun
Comments: 5
Kudos: 34
Collections: Challenge #4 — Awaken The World





	I: Human

**Author's Note:**

> This is so exciting. It's been a while since I posted anything and I'm happy this fest got my creative juices flowing again.  
> Thank you for giving it a chance.

His breathing turned heavier as he jogged over the deserted city street close to the shelter. The sun had already started to set, yet its warmth was still unforgiving. The sand that dusted up with each step caused a thin layer of dirt to settle on his sweaty face.

Kun always called him crazy for running in this weather condition, but Xiaojun needed some daily physical activity. It kept him in shape and his mind in a state of alertness.

An explosion in the distance caused him to stop in his tracks. He scanned the horizon for the source and spotted a cloud of dust at what once used to be the biggest apartment building in the city. Xiaojun was too young to remember when it was a bustling place. Now it was half-destroyed with nets of green growing through broken windows. Its only inhabitants were rats, wolves, and HIT Corp creatures.

They were giant robots built by H.I.T. Corp, the acronym of High-end Intergalactic Technology Corporation, that resembled something between an ant and a spider. They were out there to spy but also to kill humans and bring in androids. As a human, they had been regular visitors of Xiaojun’s nightly terrors.

The sight of the explosion worried him. He knew Jaehyun and Yuta were on a mission to gather parts today. And he knew that that was the area they had gone to.

With his mind made up and a last glance towards the growing smoke in the distance, Xiaojun turned and started to make his way back to the shelter, his steps more hurriedly than before.

\---

Not surprisingly, he came back to chaos.

Completely out of breath, he was about to ask one of the androids in their shelter what was happening before someone took hold of his wrist.

“Xiaojun! There you are! We need you immediately.” A lab coat, that once used to be a pristine white but was now stained with oil and grease was pressed in his hands by Kun. On automatic pilot, Xiaojun threw it over his shoulders while following Kun to what they called the emergency room.

“Yuta is in the fix room, Jaehyun in the emergency,” Kun said without slowing his steps. “They were attacked by a HIT corp creature. Jaehyun has injuries on his back and I need you to activate his anesthetic system before I do some stitching. Yuta is yours. His arm looked awful though.”

Kun was not only their human leader (Johnny was the leader that represented the androids), he was also a surgeon. He had no knowledge about robot parts and androids, but since Jaehyun resembled a human more, even on the inside, his injuries were often Kun’s to fix.

Xiaojun nodded, swallowing away his worries. “I’ll make it quick so I can check up on him immediately after.”

As Kun opened the curtains -they were more just rods to give some sense of privacy- of the emergency room, he nodded in agreement. “Thanks.”

On the makeshift hospital bed, Jaehyun laid on his stomach, his shirt already removed. He was breathing heavily, agony was written all over his face.

Kun speeded towards Jaehyun’s side and touched his forehead.

“You’re burning up.”

Jaehyun grimaced. “Yeah, the adrenaline has definitely left now.”

Worriedly, Xiaojun closed in on the android too. His back was full of clawlike gashes. That could be a problem. Especially because injuries from HIT corp monsters were poisonous for humans. 

Jaehyun was not really human, but he might as well be, with the way he was built almost scarily identical to a mortal. There were barely robotic parts in his body except for thousands of small chips and wires. 

Rain was a genius.

But that fact wasn’t exactly in Jaehyun’s favor at the moment.

“You okay?” Xiaojun asked dumbly.

“Not really,” Jaehyun managed to answer with a smile. “But better now you’re here.”

Xiaojun ignored the fluttering in his lower abdomen.

“Is that because you’re happy to see me for me or so I can sedate you?” he retorted playfully.

“The ratio is like fifty-fifty.” Jaehyun groaned in pain. “Make that one-third to two-thirds.”

At least he still had his humor. That was definitely a good sign.

In the meantime, Xiaojun searched for the old tablet that he used for programming stuff. After he found it in a drawer, he put on a square monocle, that was connected to the tablet and could analyze Jaehyun’s -and only Jaehyun’s- statistics. It was something he had never learned to use in school. It was designed by Rain and Jaehyun had taken it with him after his creator had died, because it was an important tool to access his brain. 

Even perfect androids like Jaehyun needed to be updated once in a while.

Xiaojun liked it because it kept a clear line between androids and humans. The line between them was thin and had almost become invisible after he met Jaehyun. It was a good reminder and helped to put his feelings for the android in perspective.

He turned on the tabled and first started scanning Jaehyun’s eyes. When the monocle gave him the green light, he immediately inspected his back. Kun had moved behind him in the meantime, reading along with what appeared on the screen of his tablet. 

“Anesthetic system, activate,” Xiaojun said.

On-screen appeared Jaehyun’s nervous system. 

Kun scrolled on the screen. “We only need the back. The burns on his hands can heal naturally.”

Xiaojun nodded wordlessly.

“Back area one and two,” he again said out loud. Then he nodded to Jaehyun to complete the sequence.

“Permission granted,” Jaehyun grunted. 

Instantly, the android’s face turned peaceful as the anesthesia did its work and settled in his back. Jaehyun even breathed out a soft ‘Thank you’ towards him and Xiaojun could do nothing but smile gently and pat his hair with some embarrassment.

“Good luck, big boy.”

Just when he had put all his equipment away, Jaehyun reached out to him with his arm.

“Please make sure Yuta is okay,” he mumbled sleepily. “He shouldn’t have carried me, the idiot.”

Of course, Jaehyun would think of Yuta in a moment like this. Once he used to be bitter about it, now he found it endearing.

Xiaojun nodded reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I’m on my way to him now. First, concern yourself about getting better. You’re both alive and that’s what counts the most.”

Without looking back, Xiaojun speedily left the emergency room.

He wasn’t done working yet.

\---

“You’re stance is too narrow”

Xiaojun immediately stopped hitting the boxing bag and shifted his attention to the source of the words. His eyes fell on Jaehyun, the new android in their shelter. 

The android with the looks of a handsome young man in his twenties had stumbled upon their hideout about a week ago after the passing of his creator. Kun and Johnny decided he was allowed to stay.

It was clear that Jaehyun was not your regular android. He was perfect in the way that he was imperfect. He was so incredibly human that Xiaojun could barely believe he was in fact an android. He was even more impressed when he learned from Kun that Jaehyun’s creator was none other than Rain, a legendary name Xiaojun had learned about during his classes in AI technology. 

Xiaojun always became ridiculously self-aware around Jaehyun without really knowing the reason why. So now, in the middle of the night, with sweat dripping off his face from exertion, black circles beneath his eyes, and hair like a crow’s nest, he rather went back to sleep filled with nightmares than to face Jaehyun. 

Without another word, the android rounded the small iron fence and walked up to him. He took his stance, admittedly looking more professional than Xiaojun ever could, and extended his arm in a punch motion.

“The key is to stay low. I mean, your posture is great but not so much for boxing.” He finished his words with a charming smile, dimples showing. Xiaojun observed them for a good second before averting his gaze. If the other had noticed his awful presentation, he hadn’t mentioned it. Still, Xiaojun found himself flattening his hair with his hands.

“To be honest I know nothing about boxing,” he admitted bashfully. “I just need to let out some steam sometimes.”

Jaehyun gently touched the boxing bag. It was old, worn, and had obviously seen better days. The android looked at it with a forlorn expression. After a few moments, he seemed to notice the silence and turned his attention to Xiaojun.

“I get that. I used to box a lot when I grew up. If you want I can teach you some basics.”

It was always weird to hear androids talk about growing up. Xiaojun didn’t really understand how that worked except that he knew androids had a maturing phase in which they would learn and adapt to the human world. 

However, due to Jaehyun being so much like a human, all he could picture was a small Jaehyun fiercely hitting a punching bag and running around doing all kinds of kicks while his parents fondly watched him.

Some part of him wanted to decline the offer. After all, he liked his alone time and hitting away, not caring about anything else than the lactic acid build-up in his arms.

He was also undoubtedly curious. Jaehyun intrigued him and maybe he wouldn’t be such bad company after suffering from nightmares.

Xiaojun sent the android a smile.

“Sure. Why not?”

\---

“What happened to your arm?” Xiaojun asked in shock as he rushed to Yuta who was sitting on an iron bed. His lower arm was dangling in a direction it should not. Definitely not a pleasant sight nor a good sign.

Yuta gritted his teeth. It was obvious that he was in a lot of pain. 

“I think some of the plates broke when I carried Jaehyun. The last solder fix wasn’t long ago so I think that is the problem.

Xiaojun inspected Yuta’s arm. There was some blood from where his flesh was ripped open. Of course, there wasn’t as much blood as there would be when a human was injured. If he looked closely he could see that indeed one of the iron plates had snapped in half completely. Even for androids that was a grave injury.

“Yeah, it’s completely broken. I can solder it but it will be very sensitive for a while.”

He shot a look at Yuta’s face. the android nodded though he had a worried frown between his brows. 

“Is Jae okay?” he asked eventually.

Xiaojun put a hand on Yuta’s thigh in a comforting manner. 

“His back was pretty torn up, but you know he has his own built-in anesthetic system and Kun is a trained human doctor.” He smiled at his android friend. “He’s alive and safe thanks to you.”

There was a time he was jealous of Yuta because of his obvious bond with Jaehyun. He couldn’t see how Jaehyun could prefer an android who was obviously less intricate and very traditionally built. Yuta’s body was human on the outside, and his mind was very developed, however, his inside was more robotic, consisting of iron plates and pins, and wires. 

Xiaojun still had feelings for Jaehyun, however, his jealousy towards Yuta had ebbed away over time. He couldn’t believe he had thought so low of someone he called his friend. After all, he knew the older android for much longer. They had been through a lot together in the shelter before Jaehyun was even in the picture.

It was weird how romantic feelings worked and how ugly they could make you think. 

Yuta breathed out a relieved laugh.

“Well okay then.”

After a short pause, he used his still intact arm to point at the soldering iron. “So when are you gonna use that thing on me? I need to mentally prepare for it.”

With an amused shake of his head, Xiaojun put on his safety goggles that rested on his head and plugged in the soldering iron. 

“Lay down. This could hurt a bit.”

\---

“Xiaojun, are you okay?! What happened?”

Jaehyun ran up to him and knelt down beside him. Xiaojun barely registered the other’s presence as he was still recovering from his nightmare. Apparently, he had fallen asleep on the cold training ground’s floor after practicing his boxing and meditating.

He waved Jaehyun away, despite trembling and wiping the sweat from his face with his black shirt. 

“It was just a nightmare.”

Jaehyun kept looking at him in concern, even hesitantly reaching out to touch his shoulder. Xiaojun couldn’t help but feel calmer at the grounding contact.

“Your anxiety was through the roof. And I mean, getting-attacked-by-a-HIT-corp-ant high. That’s not normal for nightmares.”

Xiaojun leaned back on his forearms, staring into nothingness. It was actually cute that Jaehyun had come all the way from the sleeping quarters just because he could feel his level of fear. He had told him once during boxing practice it only happened for his loved ones.

“Sometimes they’re… really vivid,” he simply answered.

“Have you informed Kun about this?”

Xiaojun shrugged. “He knows, but there’s nothing he can do. He’s not a psychologist. It’s simply something I have to live with.”

“I know this sounds stupid but have you tried sleeping with someone? I mean, next to you, so your body might think it’s safer.”

Jaehhyun was so fucking sweet.

“I- I don’t know,” Xiaojun answered. He sat upright and felt his stiff back and legs. Somehow it made him upset. He hated it when he got all achy and sensitive after a bad nightmare.

Jaehyun pulled on his hand. “Let me rephrase that. Sleep with me tonight. Having seen your anxiety levels is anxiety-inducing on its own.”

“Huh? With you?!”

He didn’t know what he was hearing. He couldn’t really process the offer, his brain coming up with hundred scenarios. Was he still dreaming? 

“Yeah with me. Now let’s go.”

Xiaojun was tired, scared, sensitive, and honestly, sleeping with someone else didn’t seem like such a bad idea after all. Maybe he should just stop resisting and give in. The longing for someone else next to him while sleeping almost brought tears to his eyes. And so Xiaojun let Jaehyun lead him to the androids' sleeping quarters. A dozen of them were already out cold or were turned off while being charged. Jaehyun led them to his single bed - it was somewhere in the far left corner since he was the newest.

Naturally, it was awkward, for Xiaojun at least. Though Jaehyun didn’t seem to feel weird about it, even pulling him closer to his body so they both fit on the bed properly.

Something that immediately caught Xiaojun off guard was the lack of thrumming coming from Jaehyun’s body. No indication of wires or spinning wheels.

There was an actual heartbeat. 

And on impulse Xiaojun started crying. Tears streamed down his face and wetted Jaehyun’s shirt. The other didn’t say anything about it, just rubbed his back in a soothing way.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had heard the heartbeat of another person. He was close with Kun and Winwin but not on sleeping together terms. The sound reminded him of his lost family and friends. Of the world he once lived in. Of hope.

It was so comforting that he fell asleep within minutes.

\---

“You okay?”

Xiaojun was shaken out of his stupor by Kun who had put a hand on his shoulder. He was sitting in the dining room and had apparently been daydreaming for a while now, judging on how empty it was. His book about physics lay open but abandoned in front of him.

He nodded and yawned, stretching his arms over his head.

“Yeah, m’fine. Although I could use some sleep.” It had been a few eventful days and he had spent the nights more awake than asleep

Kun nodded. He seemed to hesitate a moment before speaking again.

“I actually meant something else. About Jaehyun… and Yuta.”

The implications of it were quite clear. It was now a few days after the incident and Jaehyun and Yuta were practically inseparable. Xiaojun didn't know whether they were dating, but they might as well be. They came across as some kind of soulmates. He didn't want to meddle with that. 

Xiaojun couldn’t help but chuckle and hit Kun’s shoulder with his hand. “Are you worried or what?”

Kun rolled his eyes and shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Actually,” Xiaojun started with fondness in his eyes. “Actually I’m alright. I don’t think we would’ve ever worked out. Plus, I think it’s best if I stick with my initial dating advice.”

“And that is?”

“Not dating androids,” Xiaojun answered with a sigh. “I mean, they will always prefer other androids over humans and with good reason too. It still sucks of course, but less than before.”

Kun leaned back against the worn pillar of their dining room with his arms crossed. 

“To be honest I always thought your infatuation with Jaehyun stemmed more from curiosity and admiration than real feelings.”

Xiaojun stared at the table he was still sitting at. He took a moment to consider Kun’s words. Maybe he was right. Maybe not. He had honestly no idea. 

A shrug.

“It doesn’t matter,” Xiaojun answered. “I knew from moment one that falling for an android would cause nothing but trouble. Honestly, I don’t think I ever really thought about persuing these feelings. Sure I fantasized about being together, or cuddling, you know innocent stuff, but I think I subconsciously knew it was not meant to be.”

Suddenly a hand was stretched out towards him. Xiaojun looked at Kun in question.

“Let’s go outside. I think Winwin fixed the telescope. It’s a lovely night to look at the stars.”

With a smile, Xiaojun took Kun’s hand, and with their arms linked they walked towards the back exit.

“Xiaojun?”

“Hm?”

“I’m proud of you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this piece. I hope the flashbacks weren't too confusing. Please let me know what you thought about it.


End file.
